Priorities
by ShaolinQueen
Summary: Modern AU Yaoi ZoSan -Prequel of 'So Wrong'- An accident brings back old memories. How they met, their lives and their relationship: it has always been about priorities.
1. In Paris

**Oookay, I'm very, very nervous. This is my first multi-chapter work, my first AU and my first attempt of introspection. Too many firsts, it can't be good. LOL**

**This also a sort of a Prequel of my previous story _So Wrong_, if you're curious just have a look!  
**

**Anyway I must apologize in advance, 'cause as much as I hate it (I would have liked to have at least 4/5 chapters already done), the following chapters are still mere drafts, that need a lot of definition. I really need a new beta and I hope someone would be so kind to offer her/his help. I just couldn't wait anymore, I needed to post this and hear what you honestly think!**

**Well, that's all, enjoy the story and let me know what you think, please! **

**Pairing:** Zoro x Sanji  
**Warnings:** Modern AU  
**Summary:** An accident brings back old memories. How they met, their lives and their relationship: it has always been about priorities.  
**Beta:** melisandre013 _Thank you so much. Your work has been great and your advices precious.  
_**Disclaimers:** Nothing is mine but my insanity.

Paris was marvelous in April. The weather was mild and enjoyable, no rain or sultry heat, just a light sun and a vernal breeze: the perfect condition for walks, excursions and everything the crazy cook had arranged for them. Zoro couldn't understand a word though, but he honestly didn't care nor he was interested in learning. He wasn't very fond of travelling, especially when it meant eight hours of flight toward a foreign country, but he might admit the blond knew how to plan a journey and make it pleasant. And a break from work was always welcomed, even if he couldn't bring his swords. Besides Sanji had been ecstatic since their arrival -five days ago- and that had meant steady good mood and great sex at the end of each day, two aspects the swordsman appreciated a lot, in particular the latter, since he had got used to the cook annoying behavior a long time ago and it didn't piss him off _that_ much anymore.

So it seemed the blond had missed the city where he had grown up after all, despite his swearing about the Old Geezer and the shitty restaurant he run there. Zoro had met the aforementioned man and visited the _Baratie_, wondering how a place could be that classy and _that_ crazy at the same time. It surely suited the owner and every employee just fine though.

On the other hand Zoro was also sure his lover was perfectly content with the life they conducted together in New York. Sanji had his own business that kept him busy -a lot- and he loved it. And it was that very business which was busying them at the moment, since they were in the middle of shopping for kitchen ware, as every utensil the cook had at home wasn't perfect enough. He didn't complain though, it was not his intention to ruin the cook's high spirit and everything that went with it. Anyway, he was very relieved when they ran out of cash, forced to take a break and search for a bank. Sanji spotted the building after a few minutes of march and Zoro followed silently.

As they entered the bank Zoro heard someone shouting and a deafening bang, like an explosion. It had sounded like a loud gunshot and his senses were alert all at once. His mind, though, was focused on the cook who had taken a step back, bumping into his large chest.

The green-headed man grabbed his shoulder instinctively, even as his attention turned to the dark figure standing a few feet from them: a man, quite tall, wearing a strange mask and grasping a shotgun. The situation was pretty clear and he sighed inwardly. _Famous last words about breaks from work_.

Then Sanji started trembling, and Zoro's attention was caught again by the soft hair that was lightly brushing his nose.

The delicate scent of vanilla and tobacco pervaded his senses. He loved Sanji's smell and it was so unique he could recognize it anywhere. He could also read his cook like an open book and, at the moment, he didn't like what he was reading. Something was wrong with him: his posture was rigid- almost frozen- yet he was trembling. With fear? Zoro didn't think so. Yeah, they were in the middle of a robbery, but no way was the blond scared of that freak. Who had just fired a shotgun.

Toward them.

_Shit_.

Zoro paled, fear freezing the blood in his veins. Suddenly he felt the need to hear the cook's voice. He wanted to hear that stupid annoying voice telling him that everything was okay.

"Sanji?" the blond stopped trembling but didn't answer and Zoro fear rose even more. He tightened his grip on Sanji's shoulder and called him again.

But there was no verbal answer- just a hand slowly and shakily rising up and into Zoro's line of sight.

The swordsman froze, wide-eyed at the sight of blood.

He was sure that it hurt like a bitch, as he was sure that it had not been the pain that had made the blond shiver.

Sanji was a cook. A damn good one, very talented despite his young age. In his twenties he was already head chef in one of the fanciest restaurant of New York, and he needed his fucking hands to keep being that good. He took care of them doggedly, always being so damn careful. That's why his long fingers were scarred but soft, his grip gentle but strong.

Zoro liked being cop but he loved to fight with his swords; Sanji loved to be a chef because he loved to cook, his hands not a simple tool but a part of his dream: that was the difference between them. Lucky cook, he could fulfill that dream and get also a great paycheck from it. Zoro, on the other hand, risked ending up in jail every fucking time he found a good opponent for an underground fight .

Zoro came to his senses, his thoughts cut short after a few seconds, when he registered the presence of the robber mere inches from _his_ cook. The man seemed just as shocked as them.

In his years of experience Zoro had encountered plenty of scared and desperate John Does, with a weapon they didn't even know how to handle. This one looked no different. Sometimes they also had a good reason to act that way, however _that_ didn't stop his protectiveness from showing up.

"Do. Not. Touch. Him." The words had left his mouth before Zoro was aware of what he was saying, and then it was the robber's turn to freeze, taken aback by the demonic presence the swordsman was now exuding.

The thug, though, recovered quickly, backing away but intimating that they should sit on the floor like everyone else. "_J'ai presque fini__, connards_.(1)" He concluded, returning to the bank clerk who was filling a sack.

Zoro didn't need to understand French to know that was some kind of threat, he started to form a reply anyway, something that stressed the need for a doctor, but was interrupted by Sanji's voice.

"Let's sit, Marimo." The tone was quiet but firm. "There are other people here and you can't endanger them with your usual annoying behavior."

Zoro resisted the urge to teach the fucking robber a lesson; he was unarmed after all -not that he couldn't kill the moron with two fingers- but he also had a bleeding cook to take care of. Besides Sanji knew very well that hostage situations weren't Zoro's selling point, hence his advice.

So he growled in disapproval, but followed the blond as he sat down on the cold floor and leaned back against the bank wall. It seemed that the cook was calmer now. Maybe his hand wasn't hurting _that_ much or maybe he had simply understood that this wasn't the right place and time to freak out. Zoro felt sympathy for his lover, because he had a rather good reason to panic but he just couldn't (without being a little whiny bitch, at least).

"Let me see" he said gently, sitting cross-legged in front of the blond.

"It looks like hell…" the cook whispered while the green-headed man examined the wound. Zoro realized that Sanji was trying hard not to freak out again at the visible hole in the middle of his palm.

"I see," the swordsman said softly "It doesn't seem too serious though." He then unwrapped the black piece of cloth from his muscular arm, and silently thanked that habit. All his friends -Sanji included- teased him relentlessly for wearing a black bandanna on his left arm. But now it was the perfect item to stop the bleeding of the cook's hand, so he tied it tightly around the wound. A hiss of pain escaped the cook's lips.

"Oi," Zoro admonished half-heartedly while his thumb gently brushed the pale fingers in apology. "Don't be a pansy."

Sanji simply smirked.

***

Here's the second part!

Six minutes later, the stupid robber was _still_ collecting money, Sanji was shivering and Zoro was looking at him quizzically.

"What?!" The blond snapped after a few long seconds of scrutiny.

"You're shuddering", was the obvious statement.

"Yeah, so? It's fucking freezing here and this marble floor isn't helping."

"Pansy…"

Zoro started to unbutton his shirt though, then placed it over the shivering form of the blond, like a blanket. Sanji's expression softened, and he thanked his companion with a light nod. He then braced himself against the cold with the new layer.

The swordsman saw the blond stiffen for a moment but relaxing almost immediately.

"What's wrong with you?" He was starting to feel exasperated by the strange behavior of the cook.

"Nothing is wrong Marimo-head." Sanji sounded annoying as usual, his good mood clearly a light year off.

"You're acting weird."

Zoro felt like investigating, even if the reason was quite obvious. He just wished the jerk would finish soon, so he could bring Sanji to the hospital and, with any luck, go on enjoying their vacation the next day.

"Maybe because it's my first robbery-party. Sorry if I don't ask for a professional advice but I seem to remember your first time ended up with an explosion, right?"

"Asshole."

The idiot was fine and _that had been an accident, of course._

Ten minutes later, the stupid robber was shouting at the poor clerk, Sanji was _still_ shivering and Zoro had placed himself beside him in order to take a nap and hopefully warm up the blond. Now his soft snoring was audible even through the loud voice of the freak and also in the half-asleep state Zoro could sense the cook's irritation: Sanji hated his slumber habits8. He snuggled closer with a content sigh.

_P__issing the blond off was always fun_.

And then twenty minutes later the moronic robber was panicking. The police were outside, shouting something on a megaphone. Yet Sanji wasn't pay attention, he was feeling lightheaded and queasy.

Zoro was startled by a loud shout, smacking into the miserable cook who moaned in discomfort. He looked around: they were in the same pre-nap situation, nothing had changed. Then he looked at the blond: Sanji was ashen and looked like he was going to be sick at any moment. And was still fucking trembling. _Damn_.

Ignoring his complaints, the green-headed man put the blond on his lap and embraced the shaking form, worry creeping up again.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" It felt like holding a trembling icicle, damn it.

"I told you, nothing is wrong, just leave me alone." No insults or swearing, fight at minimum level. Something definitely wrong and range narrowed from fear to pain.

"Just try to relax, I'm sure this farce will cease soon."

"I'm not nervous, you idiot! Stop treating me like a frightened hostage. You're not credible anyway."

Zoro noticed the grumble was followed by a forceful struggle this time.

"This usually works just fine, Love Cook. Is that hurting a lot?" He then asked pointing at the bandaged hand.

The cook sighed in defeat.

"You are not going to give up, aren't you?" Zoro tightened his hold on the blond, not bothering to voice the answer. Sanji wasn't expecting one in any case.

"Not feeling so hot. I'll be fine 'cause _I_'ll be the one taking a nap for once. Wake me up when they close the curtain."

Zoro relaxed a bit. Naps usually did good to him and the witty sarcasm was back. Maybe the situation wasn't that bad. He shifted a little until he felt that both of them were comfortable enough and snorted.

"Idiot."

After forty minutes the robber was on the phone, negotiating something with the police. Yet Zoro wasn't paying attention. Something was very wrong. Why in the world had he just thought the opposite? The blond was in a cold sweat and pale like a sheet. He had checked his hand, but that seemed ok, it wasn't even bleeding anymore. It couldn't be just the freaking hand! Sanji was fucking freezing and moaning in pain… And he seemed a little delirious too, like he was tipsy or feverish.

Something was _so_ very wrong and Zoro was starting to hate the fucking vacation. They were supposed to spend some pleasant time in Paris, visit Zeff's damn restaurant and enjoy the city, not end up stuck in a fucking robbery-situation10 with a fucking asshole who couldn't even rob a bank without messing everything up. And he most definitely wasn't supposed to hold a suffering blond with no clue on what was ailing him. Zoro had tried so hard to remain cool, but now it was him that was on the verge of freaking out. He had constantly kept an eye on the blond and there was no doubt the cook's condition was deteriorating, really fast. The stupid robber was screwing up royally with the police and the hell with being on holiday, in a different country and without a weapon, once he found out what the fuck was hurting the cook he was going to deal with the fucking moron.

He shook the blond awake and was greeted by an unfocused and pain-clouded eye. He bristled even more, because it had been years since the last time he had seen that expression on the cook's face and he had really, _really_ hoped not to see it again. He swallowed his worries once more though, trying to focus on the current plight rather than on sorrowful memories.

"Sanji, you've got to tell me where the pain is", so he insisted with a little squeeze of his arms.

"I think I'm gonna be sick… " the blond uttered instead.

Alarmed, the swordsman lifted the cook a bit, preventing potentially choking him. Then he started to stroke the golden locks, a gesture that always seemed to calm the blond.

"No, idiot, you won't", he then assured softly. "Take a breath, c'mon"

The cook tried to follow the advice, but whimpering he hunched over his abdomen. "Ouch… fuck!" he cursed through gritted teeth.

Zoro was startled by the sudden motion but promptly regained his composure and quickly grabbed Sanji by his shoulders, moving him away from his chest and forcing the blond to look at him.

"What, love-cook?! What hurts?" He anxiously urged.

"My stomach… I thought that… ow shit! It feels like it's burning…",

Sanji was mumbling incoherently but he didn't wait for clearer explanations. He unbuttoned Sanji's jacket, fumbling with the stupid buttons. In those frantic moments Zoro kept mentally kicking himself. What sad excuse for a cop was he? He hadn't even checked through Sanji's body, his attention on the fucking hand all the fucking time. His chest tightened and he silently gaped at the huge bloodstain in the blue shirt. He couldn't believe his eyes.

_Fucking black jacket had hidden the stain all the time_.

And again that was a view he had desperately wished not to see again.

Predictably the first word that slipped from his lips after the visual shock was a curse.

"Holy shit." Two words, actually.

"What?!" the cook demanded strangely aware and quite alarmed by the seriousness of his tone.

Ignoring the blond and his questioning look, Zoro laid him on the floor, using the jacket as a pillow, and took off the soaked item, glancing at the oozing wound in Sanji's left side. Too much blood was covering his abdomen, crimson color more intense due to the paleness of his skin.

The situation was seriously getting on his nerves. Zoro didn't know who was going to kill first, the cook, the fucking weirdo or himself. A hole in the belly. For fuck's sake. Sanji needed to see a doctor immediately. By what Zoro could observe the cook was definitely suffering from massive blood loss and rapidly going into shock. He knew a couple of thing about first-aid but he didn't fucking know what the bullet had pierced and all he could do was trying to stop the fucking bleeding. So he pulled off Sanji's undershirt and pressed it with force on the wound, causing another moan, almost a cry this time, from the wriggling blond who was frantically trying to escape the excruciating weight.

_Stupid, idiotic shitty-cook!_

_How could he have been so stupid and not have figured that out sooner?_ He should have stopped the bleeding sooner- _And how could someone end up with a hole in the belly and only notice a stupid scratch on his hand? _

_FUCK! _

_Damn cook and his fucking priorities and damn the shock that hadn't let them think straight during the entire ordeal_.

"Stop, Zoro… Mpf"

Sanji was biting his lip, and he finally noticed that the cook was writhing under the pressure of his hand, so he stopped his mental cursing. Zoro realized that being angry wasn't a solution. He was hurting him more and God knew the idiot was suffering enough.

When the hell had he become so liable to freak out?

He loosened up the pressure, adjusting the blond head on his bent legs, silky hair grazing his bare hipbone.

"Sorry…", he then murmured apologetically, squeezing the blond shoulder to stress his word. He couldn't even continue with the soothing gesture on the bangs, 'cause also his free hand was covered in blood due to the prior examination. And that stupid, simple thought put the swordsman on the verge of despair again, making him feel more useless and guilty than ever.

It was Sanji's voice that drove him back to reality.

"Still feeling like crap though…" the blond deadpanned.

_The idiot!_

"I bet, dumbass! You got an open hole in your stomach too!" Was the frustrated reply, his temper rising again but such a better feeling compared to the previous.

"Oh, thank god…" Sanji sighed with relief, provoking a jolt in the man who's holding him.

"For what?!" Zoro asked in astonishment after a second of gaping. "Are you going nuts, crap-cook?"

"Oh shut up, Marimo! I was starting to think that I was a pansy for real…" Sanji responded with a smirk, masking the umpteenth grimace of pain.

Zoro chuckled, his heart lighter as new determination was flooding in his veins. Sanji always managed to ease his mind, even with the most innocent statements. He laid a light kiss on the cook's head. _That was exactly why he loved the idiot so_-

Another cry from the robber and a crash broke his thoughts off: the moron had just thrown the phone that was using to communicate with the Police, hitting a poor woman.

_And that was enough_. Zoro was going to put an end to the freaking situation once and for all.

_(1)I'm almost done, fuckers._


	2. Once upon a time

**Hey**** guys! Here I am with the second chapter of my story. Many apologies for the delay, hopefully the updates will be more punctual now, since the beta-problem has been solved. Thank you so much Kaomi!**

** Also, I want to thank all the reviewers, you've been too kind, really! **

**This chapter starts with an important flashback, which will continue for at least six chapter, since it's backbone of the story. I hope you'll enjoy this first bite! **

**Title:** Priorities  
**Author: ****ShaolinQueen**  
**Chapter: ****2/?**  
**Rating: ****P****G-13**  
**Pairing:** Zoro x Sanji  
**Warnings:** Modern AU  
**Summary:** An accident brings back old memories. How they met, their lives and their relationship: it has always been about priorities.  
**Beta: ****dark_kaomi**

**Disclaimers: **Nothing is mine but my insanity.

_The guy was lanky, or so he seemed from the seat he was slumped on. He was also damn skinny, evident even though he was wearing a loose sweatshirt and a pair of baggy jeans. _

_Blond hair covered the left side of his face, which was too pale to look healthy, despite the fact his simple presence in this fucking place obviously meant he wasn't. He had not looked up from the book he was reading when Zoro had entered the room, removed his coat and taken a seat __in the opposite chair. _

_Not that Zoro cared. It was just that he used to always finding the place empty, usually being the last appointment of the week. He mentally scoffed; Zoro hated being bound to this stupid farce and now he had to wait for Blondie's turn too. _

_The green-headed boy__ crossed his arms over his chest and kept looking at the stranger. There was something about the blond that had captivated him from the first instant and, no matter how many times he repeated to himself that he wasn't interested in the guy, he couldn't stop looking. Maybe because he was so young and someone so young shouldn't be there, not to mention all alone. _

_In fact Zoro himself hated the place. Probably someone had really tried to make it cozy and warm, with all the paintings and stuff, but it was like he could sense the wake of sadness and desperation that everybody left here. And that stupid boy was __making it worse with his depressing aura and sagged position, like he was part of the creepy furniture. _

_Stupid ki__d. _

_A few moments and the novelty started wearing off; besides the guy didn't seem all that interesting. He __must have been bored to waste his wait-time on watching the idiot. _

_Despite the scruffy clothes he looked classy, a little posh maybe. It was those slender hands, elegant even in the simple task of holding a book that had given Zoro the impression or maybe the polished goatee he was sure the blond took extremely good care of every morning… _

_What a brat, fifteen years old at most and already playing with the airs of his face. _

_That blond presence was annoying him and Zoro didn't know why he was paying such attention to the guy in front of him, he was really bored and annoyed right now and the blond weirdo wasn't so interesting. A rich, spoiled brat who was playing the loony out of boredom and needed an analyst to help him with his money issues, Zoro concluded. _

_Or not. _

_He didn't know why he was being so harsh and hypercritical, he usually wasn't like that. In addition the guy had done absolutely nothing to piss him off and seemed as empty as Zoro was feeling since he had made the discovery. _

_His mind went back there then, the strange guy finally forgotten. Gaze growing unfocused and dark, as dark thoughts crowded his brain. Zoro clenched his fist and maybe he really needed to talk with Dr. Robin this time. _

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_Sanji knew he was under scrutiny. The look of this guy was just too intense not to be noticed, even if he hadn't made an__y actual contact with him. _

_But, honestly, he didn't give a fuck. He was simply waiting for his thirty minutes of weekly torture, to make the shitty geezer happy. Annoying bastard, he had done it just a couple of times, no biggie! He hadn't even bled all that much. Fuck his carelessness, being caught like a damn kid… _

_The horror __on Zeff's face when he had seen the cuts was still vivid in his memory and a wave of shame warmed Sanji's neck and cheeks. The old geezer didn't deserve it and this was one of the main reasons that had made him leave. _

_Thank God, Dr. Robin was a beautiful woman, not a complete torment after all, or at least Sanji liked to think so. Lately he was finding it difficult to appreciate even the beauty of the fairer sex. _

_The guy was still glancing at him and now that he had noticed it, that obtrusive was starting to be very disturbing. Sanji knew that he was far beyond his usual schedule, but it wasn't his fault the female doctor hadn't made an appearance yet. _

_The brazen insistence, though, had tickled his curiosity. He wanted to take a look at the bold, weird guy. _

_But just as he raised his glance from the long-abandoned page, the piercing glare went hazy, losing strength and attention. And everything was blank again. No emotion, as usual; the faint hope to feel something about the other weirdo, the simple, annoying sensation of the guy's glare on him, was gone, because the guy was in his own world. _

_Disappointed, Sanji was about to avert his eye from the __other man when he noticed the guy's angry aura and what the sturdy hands at his side were doing. And what?! Green hair? A weirdo indeed. A minute of his waiting time was definitely worth a better look. _

_The guy was powerfully built, almost seeming made of steel and looking pretty dangerous. Maybe he was sitting in front of a murderer. He seemed crazy enough to be one, Sanji pondered. But if he wouldn't have been scared in a normal situation, even less so now, when the only sensation Sanji was feeling lately was apathy. If you could call that an emotion in the first place… _

_It seemed that the other guy noticed his inspection,__ because abruptly the dark eyes went alert again and he unclenched his fist. They exchanged a long glare, feeling the weight of each passing second, but neither of them dropped the challenge. It wasn't really a hostile contest, both seeing nothing but slight curiosity in the other's eyes. Well, Sanji considered, maybe they both were a little suspicious and wary toward each other, but aware, at the same time that showing more emotions would have been quite foolish and unwarranted. _

__________________________________________________________________________________ _

_Only now that his face was raised up, Zoro could take a good look at the guy's features. His left side stayed covered but he could clearly see the other part and there it was: the strangest eyebrow he had ever seen. It was curled at the end, looking ludicrous and very funny. _

_He would have burst into laugh__ter and made fun of the blond if both of them hadn't been startled by the secretary's voice, who had appeared from nowhere, informing them that Dr. Nico had had an unexpected problem and wasn't going to be in. _

_The young female, a small, blond girl with two braids and a pink dress, dismissed them with lots of apologies sent from the doctor, then left the room._

_Zoro realized that the blond seemed disappointed: he was fumbling with his pocket, as if looking for something. Maybe the guy really needed that talk he had been there for. He himself, despite relieved, was feeling a bit… confused? He was annoyed about the time he had just wasted in this fucking place that was sure. _

_Zoro turned around to collect his coat from the hook on the wall and the blond was gone. Again he felt something he couldn't really explain. It tasted like disappointment with a pinch of frustration, feelings that he made sure to dismiss in the bang of a door. _

_Coming out the building, he caught sight of the blond guy disappearing into the New York evening crowd. The idiot wasn't even wearing a coat._

____________________________________________________________________________________

_Two weeks later Zoro entered the waiting room again and found a black jacket on the chair where the blond guy had been sitting two Fridays ago. It seemed that someone was in with the doctor and he/she had left it there. _

_At least Zoro didn't have to wait for nothing this time; Dr. Robin was in._

_He was still standing, looking at a stupid picture __on the wall, when the door of the study opened abruptly and a person---who Zoro recognized as the blond guy-- fled hastily. He ran past Zoro, out the door, and the green-haired man noticed that the skinny guy had been crying. His visible eye was red and tears were flowing down his impossibly pale cheek. _

_Zoro stayed stunned for a moment, more__ shocked by the view than he understood. He glanced at Dr. Robin who had appeared at the threshold, a worried look in her blue eyes, but her features were as calm as always. _

_Then Zoro caught a glimpse of the black jacket and, without thinking, grabbed it and followed the young man in his flight. He ran down the street, watching the blond who slowed down, lighting a cigarette with trembling hands. Zoro reached him with quick steps and, without a word, placed the jacket on the blond's chest. He looked like a lost child, pale blue eye wide and mouth gaping lightly around the burning stick. _

_He didn't seem able to utter a reply, however Zoro didn't give him the chance because he immediately ran back to the building, leaving the blond even more astonished than before. Zoro didn't know why he had just chased a guy because of a stupid jacket. The idiot was also weeping like a baby and Zoro hated people who cried. It was stupid, pointless and, especially for a guy, horribly shameful. _

_He had been right, that guy was a spoiled, prissy brat. _

_As he re-entered the building he found the female doctor waiting for him, arms gracefully crossed __over her chest and the slightest amused expression in her mysterious eyes. Zoro mentally scoffed: he hated these expressions, and the doctor wore them almost constantly._

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _

_Sanji managed to move again a couple of minutes later, putting his jacket on__, his hands still trembling, and silently mouthing a thanks to no one. The gesture had warmed his breaking heart a bit and confused his dazed mind beyond words. _

_He shuddered for the umpteenth time__; he lacked the strength to face the green-headed boy, as the awful memories were haunting him again in full force. Those nightmares, those terrible nightmares had really happened. He was going to be sick for real this time. Sanji had barely restrained himself in front of Dr. Robin, but now the emotional and physical pain was too much. He staggered in an alley, bent down and threw up. _

_He was done after a while, when only dry heaves were affecting his churning stomach. He leaned back against a wall, sliding down and finally sitting on the cold concrete with knees up to his chest. Tears of pain were soon replaced by ones of despair as he started to sob again, the palms of his hands pressed hard on his eyes._

_In that moment not even the mesmerizing sight of the crimson liquid sliding from his pale skin, or the sharp, cutting pain that it caused could be enough to make him feel better. He could have cut his own arm off and still felt the unbearable pain of those memories. _

_After long excruciating moments he wiped away the tears with the back of his hands. A fruitless motion, since the warm moisture kept flooding even so. Deciding to ignore it__-too tired to be bothered by the weeping crisis, Sanji extracted his book from the back pocket of his jeans. It opened right off in the page he wanted to, the one he always started his reading from._

_All Blue. _

_But he couldn't focus on the weakened words, every ounce of his attention on the worn out picture that was smiling at him. _

_Sanji sat there for hours, in a sort of trance, looking at the photograph. He didn't even notice the green-headed boy when he passed in front of the alley, after his thirty minutes torture. _

_Zoro, on the other hand, did notice the miserable figure, hesitated for a while, then kept going. That wasn't his damned business. He had done enough with the jacket thing. He had felt foolish enough. _

_Zoro didn't need a stupid brat to take care of. He had his own problems and had to thank his fucking age and the damn skilled lawyer not to be in some reformatory right now. He could stand a year of the shrink, it wasn't a big deal. He was fine right now, the uncontainable rage had subsided months ago and he felt he could control his emotion__s again. And that was enough to make him feel better, because Zoro hated not being in control, especially when it was about feelings. _

_Self-control meant strength, __the opposite meant weakness. _

_H__e couldn't allow himself such a waste of time as the latter was, like that stupid blond boy. _

_Yeah, he was fine and he knew Dr. Robin was aware of that too. He simply had to repay the legal debt he had with the state of New York by going to those damn sessions, then he would leave this fucking town, hell, the fucking country and all the shit he had been going through. _

_Japan was a good destination. He had thought about the Oriental __country for a while and it seemed a good choice. He could train, meditate and improve his kendo techniques in their very native country. And finally challenge Mihawk again. _

_The simple thought pumped adrenaline trough his whole body. The desire to fulfill Kuina's dream was becoming more urgent than ever these last weeks and with new determination Zoro was facing his current situation. _

_Eight months gone, only four left. _

He blinked a couple of times. He didn't know what had woken him; actually he didn't remember falling asleep in the first place, even if he was almost sure he had been dreaming. Something painful but also melancholically sweet. He couldn't remember what the dream had been about, but the bitter-sweet sensation was lingering in his tired mind.

In addition, a bright light was hurting his eye and his mouth was extremely dry. Sanji tried to swallow, to ease the uncomfortable soreness of his throat. Bad idea. There was something that was harshly grinding the wall of his gullet. His confusion and discomfort thickened and he could only think that he needed to take the thing out. His first instinct, in fact, was to cough, or at least that was what he tried to do. Worst idea ever, because his chest constricted and excruciating pain exploded in his upper body.

Sanji was shocked by the sudden burst of pain that rapidly radiated through his entire body, agony clouding his mind as different colors and bright spots were alternating in his vision. Then everything went black again and he thought that he was going to die, because the ache was just too much, and he hoped to die there and now.

Someone was tearing his limbs apart, this was the only explanation.

He barely registered the tears that were running freely down his cheeks through clenched eyelashes, while waves of pain assaulted him again and again. He felt like drowning, the breathless sensation engulfing his body, which was feeling numb and completely unresponsive.

It lasted for too long. Since it appeared that death wasn't so near after all, he was sure he was going to pass out, and again he quite hoped so.

But finally the throbbing, burning sensation subsided to an almost bearable level and Sanji was suddenly aware of the beeping that was piercing his sensitive eardrums and, more important, that he was choking. He hadn't imagined drowning, he actually was.

He panicked, and he couldn't even do it properly, since his limbs felt heavy, almost petrified. However his stubborn mind told him to keep trying, his hands blindly trying to remove the culprit causing his lack of air. But as he thought he was finally reaching his goal, strong, calloused hands stopped every attempt.

"Stupid Eggplant, don't fight the machines!"

Despite the immense disappointment of being restrained, Sanji was glad to recognize that voice, the fog in his head wasn't thick enough to hinder his identification capabilities, even if he had rarely heard it laced with, what was that? Worry? Anxiety? Besides there was only one annoying person who dared to call him that.

"Mr. Blackleg? Sanji?"

And that surprised him. A woman? Ah, that could be the sweet voice of an angel.

"Sanji, try to relax and control your breathing, you've got a tube down your throat."

Ignoring the instructions he cursed the damn object--insults first.

_A fucking tube. Of course it hurts like a bitch._

Then he tried to follow the advice, he really did, but not a breath of air passed through his mouth nor was he any calmer.

"Sanji."

Oh, that voice. He was suffocating and crying in front of a beautiful woman, he was sure of it. As he was sure he couldn't do anything to prevent that, because his body was refusing to listen to him.

"I'll draw the tube out but I need you to blow out!"

That was an idea. He unconsciously squeezed his eyes even more, his lungs screaming for air. It was the worst sensation he had ever felt. But finally he sensed warm fingers cupping his chin. A sweet death, at least.

"On my count: 3, 2, 1!"

He barely managed a choke but he felt the damn tube sliding out of his esophagus nonetheless.

Relief engulfed his body and his mind as well. His chest was on fire but he could at last inhale the air his lungs were craving so much.

He kept taking shaky breaths, so engrossed in the natural yet difficult task that he forgot his surroundings 'til the female voice spoke again.

"Very good. That's better, right?"

He nodded the slightest of movements. He felt completely drained and, moreover, now that the oxygen was filling his lungs, his cooler mind was entirely focused on the intense pain hanging in his torso.

"Now, Sanji, can you open your eyes for me?"

Only then he realized that his eyes were still closed. The acute noise had stopped as well. He wished the ache would stop too.

"I'm sure they're beautiful."

The soothing voice continued. A goddess! She surely was. And he couldn't neglect a goddess's request, even if his eyes couldn't be described as beautiful, not the left one at least. Had he dreamt about _that_ too? It seemed so, even if his mind, at the moment, was spinning in a confused daze.

He found the act more difficult than he expected but after a few seconds the room came into focus: everything was too white and the light was hurting his eye again.

"Very beautiful indeed."

He sluggishly glanced in the direction of the sweet sound and finally the voice got a face. And what a vision! Fair skin, a fall of light-brown hair, green eyes and the warmest smile.

Sanji opened his mouth, to tell this goddess how gorgeous she was, but nothing came out. He grimaced at the fierce pain.

"Don't attempt to speak; your throat is very sore right now. It will get better in a couple of days at most."

She applied something creamy on his dry lips, then a transparent mask was on his mouth and Sanji was fading fast.

Someone was wiping the tears from his face with a tissue. Those rough hands again, the Crap Geezer, again.

He attempted a smirk, a look that showed recognition but he wasn't sure he had succeeded. He couldn't control the flutter of his eyelids anymore and eventually closed them, succumbing to pain and tiredness.

Sanji fell asleep with the sudden feeling that something was missing.


	3. Blond Obsession

Sorry about this third notice, I can't just figure out. *sighs*

I know, I'm super late. This chapter should have come sooner and it has been more than two weeks. I'm really sorry!

But I have a fanart. Yes, for my story, and it's awesome! I almost cried when I saw it. Here h t t p : / / kiw. / spam / 2009_05_sanzo%20 paris .jpg (just remove the spaces), so you can squeal with me! Thank you so much knp01, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too!

Many thanks, as usual to my amazing beta dark_kaomi, she my savior!

Well guys, flashback-only this time. I promise you'll find out about Zoro in the next, enjoy this for now!

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_Two months had passed, May weather was quite mild and Zoro was going to the usual Friday appointment with a cotton shirt and a pair of dark jeans. Walking lazily down the street, arms crossed behind his head, he tried to enjoy the fresh breeze, while his mind was reeling in a circle of confusing emotions. _

_Every Friday, on his way to Dr. Robin's office, he couldn't help but start thinking about the last encounter with the blond guy. _

_After a couple of weeks Zoro had realized that it was always the same, stupid hairdresser sign that ignited the thoughts, just because it portrayed a fucking blond head. _

_And in addition, since the realization, he didn't even need to see the sign anymore, because when he approached the shop he thought that he was going to think of the boy because of the picture. _

_Totally. Insane. _

_This day, of course, was no different: the situation driving him totally mad. It was just too ridiculous for his own sanity, he considered with a sigh. _

_So he kept walking and he bitterly reflected that this madness had started after the jacket episode. It was the stupid, moronic jacket's fault because it was a couple of Fridays after the incident that he had felt particularly uneasy. He hadn't seen the blond since the incident but the thought of a glassy blue eye had been incredibly insistent, like a pestering brat who kept asking for candy and stopped only when you gave it to him. And after days of self-denial and exhaustive training-- that hadn't been strenuous enough to make him forget the idiot-- he had finally decreed that there was nothing strange in requesting simple information. He was going to ask if the guy was still breathing, period. _

_Zoro had been quite proud when the question had come out in a very nonchalant way, in the middle of a chat with his doctor. _

_And that's why he had almost fallen from his chair at Dr. Robin retort. _

"_Why do you feel guilty?"_

_She had uttered the question in total innocence, that annoying smile of hers plastered on her beautiful features. She had been wearing a purple suit that day, and he had thought the color really fit her, making her appearance even more mysterious than usual. _

_And of course he wasn't guilty, he had replied at first. The exasperating smile, though, had stayed in place, and damn that woman, because she had the power to steal his thoughts just with her piercing look. _

_And yes, he was feeling a little guilty, Zoro had eventually admitted after one minute of that look. Just because the idiot had been crying his eyes out in a dark alley and someone could have kidnapped or robbed him without him even noticing. _

_And because he should have punched him out of his stupor, not leaving without a second glance, he had hastily added._

_A real smile spreading on her face, Dr. Robin had then assured him that Sanji, that was his name, was regularly going to his appointments, and with a chuckle, that nobody had tried to kidnap him. _

_She had simply tried to be more respectful of her work schedule as she had done before._

_And Zoro, who hadn't been relieved— just glad he had received his answer-- had foolishly thought that, since he knew for sure that Sanji was alive, the blond would have left his mind once and for all. _

_How wrong had he been. _

_They had spoken about the other boy a few more times since then. The doctor hadn't said much, and neither had Zoro, of course, because he sure wasn't interested in the topic. She had simply dropped some information here and there such as the boy-- who unbelievably was older than him, by months sure, but older nonetheless-- had just regained a very traumatic memory. _

_Seventeen years old and had already experienced trauma in his life. Zoro had felt sympathy at the notion, not that his situation was better, but it didn't mean that it was an ordinary routine in everyone's life. _

_Just another reason not to believe in God, he had grimly concluded._

_So, today's walk, as the previous ones, had just proved that he couldn't contain those musings. _

_Plus, he noticed in sheer disgust, he also remembered what the doctor had been wearing the day of the first talk about Sanji. And he felt even more idiotic, because Roronoa Zoro didn't care about clothes, colors matching or bullshit like that. He had maybe one other pair of jeans and a couple of shirts just because he hated to do laundry, and with a few items more he could avoid the task for two weeks instead of one. _

_Geez, therapy was supposed to fix him, not to add the weirdness in his head. _

_Having reached the building, he went through the door with a frustrated sigh. Not only had he spent the entire walk thinking of the boy, and, for fuck's sake clothes, now Zoro had the scary sensation that today he would end up also *speaking* about Sanji. The devil woman could read him too easily not to notice his inner turmoil about the topic was dangerously increasing._

_And that day to boot and, despite her promise, Dr. Robin was late again. When Zoro entered the now familiar room, he saw the lanky blond, Sanji, sitting in the usual chair. But the swordsman didn't have time to even glance at his face because the boy was immediately called by the female doctor. He only noticed that he looked skinnier, if it was possible._

_So now Zoro was damn sure that 'Sanji-topic' would have been quoted in their conversation. He almost growled loudly, but he resigned himself to his cruel destiny nonetheless and patiently waited for his turn. _

_After thirty minutes Sanji was out and Dr. Robin was calling for him. Zoro stood up and finding himself face to face with the other boy. Sanji's skin was sickly pale and his visible eye was empty and dull. Then, all of sudden, a sparkle of life flashed in that blue orb and Zoro was so startled that he watched in awe as he realized that the rosy lips had parted, leaving a croaked, soft whisper._

"_Thanks for the jacket." And then the blond was gone._

_Zoro stood there, quite unsure about what to think. Those words had sounded faint and distant but the look… It was still in front of his vision, vivid and clear. A shiver ran down his spine, a pretty unsettling feeling he tried to get rid of, but that dark eye was still there, so he blinked a couple of times, finally succeeding. Besides confusing the thanks had also been rather unexpected, he reckoned after a while; the brat had just behaved like a well-mannered boy. _

"_That's the first thing he has said in the last two months." Zoro was startled again and he turned around, finding the peaceful features of the woman. He felt a weird feeling this time, something warm spreading in his chest that he didn't quite understand. So he shrugged it off and followed the doctor in to her elegant study. _

_He had been puzzled enough for one day. He just wanted to end the business soon and go home. _

_So, as usual, they started the encounter talking about everyday life, Zoro's projects, dreams and how they were progressing. Nothing new. _

_Robin, as she had asked him to call her, strangely enough didn't push him into talking about Sanji that day and Zoro almost felt disappointed. _

_Almost._

_---_

_Two weeks later Sanji was there again, looking like shit. He was slumped in the chair, limbs sprawled haphazardly and a book in his lap. His face was turned towards the study's door like a sunflower in a summer day. _

_As Zoro entered the blond didn't move, as if in a sort of trance. So the swordsman sat down in the opposite chair with a sigh. The boy really looked awful. Zoro thought he hadn't seen someone so pale before, the black shirt he was wearing made him even skinnier than he really was and highlighted his unhealthy complexion._

_But, as the last time, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an opening door. Now, though, it was the secretary, who again informed them about the doctor absence with a lot of apologies, then disappearing behind the same door._

_Sanji, looking oddly aware all of sudden, stood up. Maybe too abruptly because Zoro watched him swaying a bit, while pushing the book into his back pocket and then starting to leave on unsteady feet. He followed the blond out of the building where Sanji had stopped, an arm stretching forward blindly. The swordsman covered the distance between them in a second just in time to catch the falling body. He had thought the blond would need help getting home but he hadn't expected the abrupt collapse. _

_So he cradled the scrawny boy in his arms. After mere seconds of pondering, he decided to take him to his place: he hated hospitals and Sanji simply looked exhausted and in dire need of a bed. _

_Besides, Zoro had no answers to the billions of questions doctors and nurses would surely torment him with. _

_On the other hand, he already knew he was going to regret that choice, because the boy seemed a rich source of annoyance. His feet, though, seemed not to care about it, and he kept his steady pace through the evening crowd. _

_People were watching him with inquiring faces, but those were nothing more than brief glances, everybody too busy in their frantic existences. That was New York, after all and he was quite accustomed to it by now. _

_He reached his apartment in ten minutes, not tired at all, and not just because he was well trained: the idiot weighed nothing._

_During the brief walk Zoro had decided to rack his brain trying to understand why he was bringing a perfect stranger to his building, was quite pointless, since he seemed to have lost his last marble in that session, just a few minutes before. _

_Thus, he looked again at the fatigued features and put the burden on his large bed, then he took his sneakers off. Sanji smelled of cigarette and vanilla. Zoro hated vanilla perfume because it was too sweet and cigarettes simply sucked, but together, those fragrances were almost pleasant… in an odd likable combination. The clothes he was wearing were clean and soft and Zoro recognized the light scent of his laundry conditioner. An odd combination indeed. _

_Sanji was out cold, but he seemed more asleep than unconscious. In his slumber he looked even younger, Zoro considered, the blond locks covering almost the whole face and his mouth curved in the slightest pout. He was nearly tempted to brush away those bangs, but his hand stopped midway, unsure. That was stupid and there was something untouchable in that face he couldn't quite understand. _

_He retrieved his hand and after a final scrutiny, Zoro had just come to the conclusion that Sanji only needed a full night of rest, when a glimpse of white under the black shirt caught his attention. Zoro looked again at the pale face, as to make sure he was really sleeping, then undid the first three buttons, partially revealing a makeshift bandage. _

_Now curious and a little suspicious, he unbuttoned the entire shirt and gasped in shock. What seemed like a lot of blood was soaking the thin fabric, to the point that crimson was more visible than white. Almost panicking, he grabbed the cover and pressed the sheet on the blond chest in order to arrest the bleeding. _

_He had undervalued the stupid brat's condition, Zoro should have brought him to the hospital immediately. _

_A hand on the soaked chest, the other searching blindly on his night table, he finally fumbled with his phone. _

_Zoro started to dial 911 when a cold hand grabbed his wrist. _

"_Don't. "_

_He was almost startled by the sudden grip and the following order. They were both rather firm despite the condition of the owner._

"_Fucker, are you nuts?" Great question Zoro, of course he is. _

_He couldn't help, those had been the first words that had come into his mind. It wasn't easy to think with a weirdo holding his hand, bloodied sheets in the other and an operator asking for the third time what was his problem. _

"_I'm fine." The voice was weak, but stubborn beyond measure. If the idiot didn't want to go to the hospital, it wasn't his business, but he surely wasn't letting him bleed to death in his fucking bed. _

"_Yes, you sure are," was his sarcastic reply. He ended the phone call, freeing his wrist with a jerk._

"_I just need to go home…" _

_Sanji was obstinate but not very coherent at the moment, Zoro judged from his rambling. He just had to maintain that attitude. The boy was too tired to argue. Hopefully he could tend to those wounds then put him to sleep with no efforts._

"_You're not in any condition to leave. Stay put and let me take care of… this" He didn't even understand what the hell had happened to him. Had Sanji been hit by a car or something? That was too much blood, for fuck's sake! _

"_Yes, I am." Zoro wasn't sure anymore that Sanji was too tired to argue and sure as hell he was starting to regret his decision to bring him there. Badly, because this boy was a real nuisance. He tried with the last polite words, otherwise he was going to kick the idiot out._

"_Stupid! At least let me apply new bandages, your's suck." Well, that hadn't been very polite but…_

"… _fine." _

_Oh. Unexpected. He was almost disappointed, because maybe kicking him out had been the first good idea he'd had that evening. _

"_I don't even know your name," Sanji added in a whisper. _

_Zoro was taken a little aback by the statement, not sure if the blond was asking or simply mumbling to himself. Well, maybe it hadn't been a bad idea, after all. It felt kind of good, like a small victory. It was a pity that Zoro hadn't the foggiest about what the great victory was. He decided that he could start giving by the answer. _

"_Zoro." _

"_I know you know mine, Zoro."_

_That woman. He should have known she was planning something. He kept his cool though, hoping she had maintained at least in part her professional secret. _

_So he grunted, because he really didn't know what to say in response and started undoing the bandages._

_They remained silent while Zoro was taking care of the wounds, cleaning and disinfecting each cut. If what he had seen under the bandage had shocked him he didn't show it, his face expressionless, just focused on his ministrations. _

_---_

_Sanji had regained consciousness a bit disorientated. He was laying on something soft and warm, with a strange smell he couldn't identify engulfing his nostrils. _

_Had he fallen asleep in one of the chairs of Dr. Robin waiting room? He had a vague memory of the secretary telling him the appointment was cancelled though, then leaving the study a little lightheaded… _

_He hadn't been alone, had he? He seemed to remember the green-headed boy had been there too, but he wasn't sure, his mind was so confused and he was so tired…_

_He suddenly realized that someone was opening his shirt and since he had the alarming sensation it wasn't a beautiful girl he established he was in trouble. _

_Sanji fought against the numbness of his limbs, forcing his eyes open but finding himself closing them almost immediately as the searing pain flashed through his upper body. The painful jolt, though, had helped him regaining his bearings and when he opened his eyes again he was shocked to see the green-headed weirdo --flesh and blood-- panicking over something. _

_However he hadn't time to properly freak out about it because from the boy's bewildered expression and the dialing tone noise he realized the guy had just discovered his dark secret._

_And luckily enough he had managed to block the call but the boy --Zoro-- had proved to be very stubborn and Sanji had finally agreed to be at least vetted by the strange guy. Just a couple of minutes, he had thought, the time to make the annoying boy happy and gather the strength necessary to go home and rest. _

_And now he was watching the boy through half-closed eyelids. Every cut was hurting fiercely but he was drowsy again and registering the pain as a distant feeling. His mind was reeling though, in a sort of stupor. This situation was pretty odd, his injuries were being tended by a green-headed freak, a complete stranger, who had collect his unconscious body and took it to his home. The guy surely had some guts. _

_Sanji knew he wasn't looking very fearsome at the moment –--if he had ever been---but he also knew that he was a total loony in Zoro eyes and people usually didn't bring loonies to their houses, even if they were so themselves. _

_He didn't quite remember how much Dr. Robin had told him about this boy. His body had merely been there, but his mind had been a complete different thing to deal with. In the back of his mind Sanji knew he was being extremely rude to the female doctor --and fuck if he was feeling bad about it-- but it wasn't like it had been refusing to talk to her voluntary or something like that. Because no matter how he tried, he was simply terrified, because it had been talking to her that he had made the awful discovery and he just couldn't bear more._

_He did remember though Dr. Robin telling him the boy knew his name. At that moment it hadn't matter of course, but now he had felt in a sort of disadvantage, being in his house and everything, hence his previous question._

_A stronger twinge told Sanji that Zoro had just tied the new bandage and was finally done. He still was tired as hell, fuck, maybe he was even more tired than before but he forced himself into full consciousness, rubbing his tired eye vigorously with the palm of his hand. _

_Thanks-time, again, ---he hated the boy for forcing him into the embarrassing task--- so he tried to settle it quickly and painless. _

"_Well, uh… Thanks. I really need to go now." It sounded lame even to him, but whatever._

"_Don't be an idiot, just sleep" He had asked for that, however the green-headed boy was starting to be very exasperating. There wasn't a chance in hell Sanji was spending the night there. For now he decided to keep his cool though. Let's refresh his memory._

"_You said-" _

"_I know what I said, but that was before seeing that mess." _

_Fuck. That had been rude. You don't interrupt people while they were talking. This ape needed some manners and he knew he had exaggerated this time, but it really wasn't as bad as it seemed. Besides the boy had seemed totally unaffected by the "mess" when he had been working on it. Why bother now?_

"_They're just superficial cuts which bleed a lot." Sanji pedantically explained. _

"_They didn't seem so to me. Are you hungry?" _

_The situation was going way too far but Sanji found himself answering nonetheless. He was too tired to fight, he guessed._

"_Not really." Because he was feeling nauseous, as usual, and it worsened only by mention. _

"_You should eat something, I can almost see through you."_

_Ah, great! A nosy freak! Fuck being polite, the idiot didn't deserve it._

"_It's none of your damn business." _

"_Damn right."_

"_Why the fuck don't you leave me alone then?" _

_Sanji didn't understand this guy, he was weary and sleepy, he had no time for that shit._

"_You need help." And a strong hand was holding his shoulder in place. _

_Wrong. He needed to go home. He just couldn't with that muscle-head pinning him down the bed. Sanji was even more frustrated now, because Zoro was very strong and he wasn't in the shape to properly fight him._

"_I do not, and if I did, it wouldn't be yours!" He didn't want anybody's help, never again._

"_I'm not offering any. I just took you off of the street because I didn't want to hear about you on tomorrow's news." This guy had serious guilty issues otherwise he was just playing Superman. Hadn't he been clear enough? _

_He wanted to stand and leave that damn house with all his might but, again, found himself discussing about stupid details of Zoro speech. Maybe he was going nuts for real._

"_You've just wrapped me in clean clothes."_

"_You were staining my sheets." Unnerving. Arguing was pointless since the idiot had the logic of a five year old. So Sanji finally opted for an insult, the effective universal language._

"_Asshole." And it felt good. _

_Now that he was thinking about it, it was kind of reinvigorating quarrelling with Zoro, he felt like he could go on for a lifetime. _

"_That would be you, shithead. If you're not going to eat--" If the idiot mentioned that again… _

"_If I eat now, I'm going to throw up." And it was damn true, and this insistence on the food reminded Sanji of the old geezer so much till the point that it was almost scary. The last thing he needed at the moment was another foster father. _

"_Oh joy, bulimic too." Was Zoro's comment. A lifetime indeed, but he really was too tired for that shit…_

_It was time to rise from that damn bed, but as he tried to move Zoro pinned him down with both his hands and he was dreadfully strong. Pissed beyond measure Sanji decided he had had enough of the game and kicked the damn, freaky boy with another insult._

"_You're such a bastard… Let me go!" _

_Or at least he tried. He was fucking weak and that mountain of muscles dodged and blocked his attack as chasing away a mosquito. _

"_Whoa! Maybe if you weren't low on blood it would have been a good kick." _

"_Bastard… " _

_He was starting to see dark spot on his vision, his strength was to the limit and Zoro seemed to notice it._

"_Listen Eyebrow, if you keep struggling you'll pass out again. Just take a nap, I assure you you'll feel a lot better afterward." _

_Eyebrow?! How dared him! From a cabbage head, above all! But he really needed a nap, so Sanji fixed on kicking the idiot ass after a little rest. _

"_Annoying Marimo… " And he was out._

_----_

_The blond was finally asleep and Zoro decided to order pizza, because he was hungry. He was feeling incredibly well despite the nuisance who was lying in his bed. Or it was because of? He wasn't stupid and knew that something about that boy had captivated him. It surely was fun arguing with him, the astonished face he make were quite a show. _

_And of course he had lied to the blond. He didn't know why but he itched to help him. When that eye wasn't empty, it held a strange mix of emotion: anger, frustration and… guilt? A formula way too familiar to Zoro. _

_During the banter he had seen it a lot of it and epiphany had finally come: that was the look of Kuina's brown eyes, when she yelled, furiously fighting and defeating him all over again with her wooden sword. _

_Six-year-old Zoro hadn't comprehended why his older sister was so aggressive with him. Of course he loved to fight, he wanted to become stronger and be able to finally beat her, for once. However he wasn't sure about Kuina's reasons. She claimed the same dream---to be the strongest--but sometimes Zoro had the feeling that she physically needed to be so. But a child didn't discern such a complicated emotion and he had understood it only a year ago---ten years after her death--thanks to her diary. _

_Zoro had been angry at his sister during all those years. She had made him cry and more importantly, she had left him without the opportunity to defeat her. Her memories had hunted him over the years and lead his path towards the future. That had been a stupid death too; falling down the stairs had been such a stupid way to pass on. He had been angry also for this, because strong people shouldn't die like that. _

_That diary, though… That diary had been the key to everything. The key to Kuina's anger, frustration and guilt, the key to his mother's alcoholic sadness and the key to his father's… to his father. _

_That's why he had killed him, it was simple like that: sixteen-year-old Zoro had strangled his abusive father, who had made his eleven years old sister commit suicide. Bullshit the stairs, bullshit the broken back. The only broken thing had been her neck, because she had hanged herself._

_And strong people shouldn't die neither like that, Zoro found himself thinking for the umpteenth time._

_But he was fine now. Or so he thought. The anger and his guilt had subsided and he had to thank Robin too for this. Psychoanalysis wasn't a total shit after all, he had learned again how to convey his energy to his goal, molding the sheer wrath into determination. _

_He didn't understand why that didn't work with Sanji. The guy wasn't a stupid brat, not all the time, at least. Maybe he wasn't stubborn enough to heal, even if he definitely had been stubborn as hell just a moment before. However, Zoro certainly was for both. He hadn't trusted Robin from the beginning but then he had learned to appreciate her work and he was sure she was damn good at it. _

_Then why had the stupid blond looked worse every time he saw him? How bad could a memory be? He really didn't understand and he really wanted to, because he couldn't stand that look._


End file.
